Thermostatic valve mechanism.



E. RUU'D. I THERMOSTATIG VALVE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 1913.

1,,U9@,65% Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

2 m fi 30 i I 7 WITNESSES 4 INVENTOR' EDWIN RUUD, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

THEBMOSTATIC VALVE MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. an, aura.

Application filed May 14, 1913. Serial No. 267,627.

To all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, EDWIN RUUD, a citizen of the-United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer-' tain new and useful Improvements in Ther most-atic Valve Mechanism, of which the folv is a vertical longitudinal section lowing is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is ,to cause a gas controlling valve to be fully responsive to the sensitive adjustment of a thermostat even though, the valve and its motion transmitting mechanism are so lo-' cated as to be subject to wide temperature variations.

The invention has resulted from difliculty I have experienced. in obtaining unrestricted movement of the thermostatically controlled valve of a self-heatin The valve and its operating mec anism are necessarily in close proximity to the iron and are immediately afi'ected by the temperature thereof with the result that variations of several hundred degrees are experienced, and in order to obtain maximum efiiciency from the thermostatic adjustment the valve and its actuatin mechanism must move as freely when high y heated as when relatively 0001, any sticking tendency resulting in immediately impairing the accuracy of the gas control. To meet these conditions I have provided the valve with an operating lever having a loose fulcrum which is held in gas-tight engagement wlth its bearing bv the forces which operate the valve, and with the lever thus loose or movable it is unaffected by changes in temperature and no sticking tendency results such as is ex erienced when the motion trans-' mitting evice'is clamped or positively held.

A further object of the invention is to provide a compensating connection between the thermostatlc device and the valve whereby extreme movement of the former, as when under maximum contraction, will be on the valve mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 of the imcompensated without exerting undue force proved mechanism applied to a flat iron.

Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views illustrating modifications,

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the fiat iron body, and 3 is the gas. supply pipe carried thereby and communicatlngwith burner 4. In the adaptation shown-in ably entered therein is theball fulcrum 11 of lever 12, an arm13 extending inwardly from the ball and engagin the valve for moving it longitudinally. (loiled spring 14 located in fitting 7 in line with the valve exerts constant pressure thereon for forcing it toward closed position, but the valve is prevented from fully seating by the adjustable stop '15 embraced by the extremity oflever 12.

Motion is transmitted from rod 6 to valve lever 12 by lever 16 which is fulcrumed at 17 to tube 3, a screw 18 adjustably connecting rod 6 and lever 16. Movable in the free upper end of lever-16 is bolt 19 which is held normally rojected toward and in engagement with liever 12 by spring 20, the latter carried by arm 16 and embracing the bolt beneath its head, as shown.

In operation, when the iron body cools and contracts, rod 6 is forced outwardly and oscillates the free portion of lever 16 toward tube 3, and as spring 20 is stouter than spring 1 1, lever 12 is so oscillated as to move the valve away. from orifice 9. The forces transmitted to lever 12 by spring 14 and by lever 16 are such thatfulcrum ball 11 is held constantly pressed into tight engagement with bearing 10 and no gas can escape. With ball 11 loose in itsbearing it is not adversely affected by expansion and contraction resulting from'temperature variations,

and as there is no sticking or binding tend-' the iron becomes very cold and maximum contraction of body 2 results, lever 16 simply moves on bolt 19, the latter being held in engagement with lever 12 by spring 20. But as said spring is stronger than spring 14 bolt 19 provides a rigid connection with lever 12 under all normal operating conditions.

The invention may be variously applied.

In Fig. the thermostatic rod 25 is of cop- 65- the resultant per or other material having a high coeflicient of expansion and contraction so that the action of lever 16 is the reverse of the arrangement shownin Fig. 1, and this re 5 sults'in a reversal of the valve actuating spring and lever, the spring 26 being arrang ed beneath the valve and tending to forceit open, with sto 15 limiting the opening movement, whi e lever 27 (corresponding to lever 12) is so disposed that the force applied by screw 28 of lever 16 operates to close the valve. But in this adaptation the resulting force of spring 26 and lever 16 is such as to hold ball 11 in gas-tight engagement with its bearing.

The adaptation of Fig. 3 is the same as that shown in Fig. 2,.excepting that lever 27 is elongated to'provide a tail piece 29 to which spring 30 is connected for'opposing movement transmitted from lever 16,

said spring being thus at the exterior of the valve and taking the place of the internal spring 26. In this embodiment both the spring and the thermostatic lever exert inward seating pressure on the ball valve.

While the invention is designed primarily for use on automatically controlled gas heated flat irons, it may be employed in any other service inwhich such mechanism may be useful.

. I claim:-

1. The combination of a valve casing and valve for controlling a flow of gas, the easing provided with a bearing-forming lever opening, a valve actuating lever extending through the' opening, a fulcrum for the .lever movably fitting the bearing, and

" means for transmitting valve actuating force to the lever in direction to hold the fulcrum in. gas-tight engagement with its bearing.

2. The combination of a valve casing and a valve for controlling a flow of gas, a valve actuating lever having its -fulcru m loosely 5 bearing in the casing with the fulcrum movable away from the latter, a spring for moving the valve in one direction, and a thermostatic device operatively connected to the lever for moving the valve in an opposite 5 'direction with the resultant force of the spring and thermostatic device pressing the lever fulcrum toward its bearing.

' 3. The combination of a valve casing and a valve for controllin a flow of gas, the exterior of the casing ormed with a curved 5 bearing and with a passage extending inwardl .from the bearing, a lever having a curve fulcrum loosely fitting the bearing,

an arm' projecting inwardly from the ball so fulcrum and operatively connected to. the

valve, a spring for moving the valve in one direction," and a thermostatic device operatively connected to the lever for moving the valve in 0 position to the spring with fiirce of the spring and thermostatic device'pressing the ball fulcrum into gas-tight engagement with its bearing.

4:. The combination of a valve casing and a valve slidable within the casing for controlling .a flow of gas, the exterior of the casing formed with a bearing and with a slot extending inwardly from the bearing to the valve, a lever at the exterior of the casing, a fulcrum carried by the lever and loosely seatedin said bearing, an arm projecting inwardly from the fulcrum and 0p eratively engaging the valve for sliding the latter, a spring for moving the valve in one direction, and a thermostatic device operatively connected to the valve for moving it in an opposite direction with .the resultant force of the spring and thermostatic device holding the fulcrum in gas-tight engage-- valve movable longitudinally therein for.

controlling a flow of gas therethrough, the casing formed with a lateral opening terminating in a socket-like bearing, a coiled spring within the casing and engaging the valve for moving it longitudinally in one direction, a lever .having a a ball fulcrum loosely entered in said bearing, an arm proecting inwardly from the ball fulcrum and engaging the valve, and a thermostatic de-' vice operativel connected to said lever with ins the resultant orceof the spring and thermostatic device operating to hold the ball fulcrum in gas-tight engagement with its bearing.

' 7. The combination of a valve casing, a valve movable longitudinally therein for controlling a flow of gastherethrough, the casing having a latera opening terminating at the exterior of the casing in a circular socket-like bearing, a lever having a ball fulcrum loosely seated in the bearing, an

arm projecting inwardly from the said fulcrum and operatively engaging the valve, a

thermostatic device, a second lever actuated by the thermostatic device, a bolt slidable in the second lever, and a spring for holding the bolt normally projected into engagement 7 with the first mentioned lever.

8. The combination of a flat iron, a gas burner carried thereby, a burner controlling 'valve and valve casing carried by the iron and adapted to be heated thereby, the easing provided with a seat-forming lever opening, a valve actuating lever extending through the opening, a fulcrum for the le-- ver fitting the seat and movable away from the latter along with the lever, and lever operating means exerting fulcrum-seating pressure on the level:

9; The combination of a flat iron, a gas burner carried thereby, a' burner controlling valve and valve casing carried by the iron and adapted to'be heated thereby, the casing provided with' a seat-forming lever opening, avalve actuating lever extendingthrough the opening, a fulcrum for the lever fitting the seat and movable away from the latter along with the lever, a spring for moving the valve in one direction, and a 1 sition to the spring.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 20 in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN BUUD.

Witnesses: S. A. MoF-A'nLAnD, J. M. NESBIT.- 

